EdCircuit StaffLiving in rural Montana has its charms—the vast skies, stunning landscapes, and a community spirit that makes it feel like home. While I plan to remain in the Treasure State for life, the students I work with might choose different paths. Regardless of where they go post-graduation, it’s crucial they are prepared for success.
As a former classroom teacher, I’ve seen educational technology’s ability to spark student curiosity and engage students in learning. Now, as Discovery Education’s Manager of Statewide and Strategic Partnerships, I’m helping rural educators in several states leverage multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships for student success.
In discussions with teachers and school administrators I’ve worked with nationwide, I’ve pinpointed four areas where edtech can help support the success of rural students.
Career Exploration
If I look around my community, I can readily see career opportunities in agriculture, mining, animal husbandry, and construction. When I expand my horizons to the areas around my immediate community, I can see careers in law enforcement, retail, healthcare, and, of course, education. However, many of our rural students are looking for career paths beyond their local communities. This means providing students with the ability to learn about new career paths beyond their immediate surroundings is critical.
Edtech resources can play an important role in helping students explore the world beyond the classroom. Through today’s edtech tools and services, students can be transported into a new world of career possibilities. They can explore manufacturing with Caterpillar, learn about biotechnology from the team at Genetech, or talk directly with a real scientist from 3M. Through edtech, each student can explore a world of new careers right from their desk.
And good news! Research shows that students want more opportunities to learn about possible careers at school. As The Education Insights Report by Discovery Education shows, approximately 70% of students agree that career exploration resources are vital not only for long-term success, but also for enhancing day-to-day learning.
Scaling Best Practices
In the rural United States, some educators are still teaching in the equivalent of a one-room schoolhouse. This means that they are teaching every subject, every grade level, as well as serving as the bus driver, janitor, nurse, and more. Literally, in a one-room schoolhouse, the resident educator is managing every minute of the school day single-handedly.
Edtech can help tremendously by scaling what is considered best practice into any environment and empowering teachers to deliver more personalized and differentiated learning to students. From creating customized intervention plans to personal enrichment opportunities for gifted students, edtech saves teachers valuable time by making it easier to scale high-quality instructional experiences.
Providing Accessibility
Libraries are few and far between in rural communities. Often, the local school is the only library available and even then, costs often prohibit the creation of a full library. If you are from a rural community, you might remember the Bookmobile! As a young student, you would see that large bus parked out front and know that you could get almost any book you wanted or have them order it. Unfortunately, the number of rural communities serviced by a Bookmobile has decreased significantly over the years. So how do we provide new literature and nonfiction stories and books to our rural students?
Edtech providers have done a good job filling that gap by providing literature to students through assets such as audiobooks, podcasts, and animated stories. Some providers also offer teachers access to numerous ready-to-use activities that pair these resources with engaging instructional strategies, providing educational experiences to the student and easy lesson planning for the teacher.
In addition, the K-12 platform Discovery Education Experience offers a curated library of relevant, interesting videos, interactives, podcasts, and much more that students can explore. In this way, edtech not only provides accessibility of resources to all students, but it also nurtures the innate curiosity in all students.
Professional Learning
Rural educators often find it difficult to drive hundreds of miles to attend professional development conferences and sessions, not only because of the time and energy it takes to drive, but because, more than likely, they must cancel school because there is not a substitute to cover their class.
Many innovative edtech providers offer options for either synchronous or asynchronous professional learning that can keep teachers just as informed about the latest developments in instructional practice as their peers. In addition, professional learning communities like the Discovery Educator Network, Apple’s Distinguished Educator program, and others provide opportunities for teachers to stay connected through a network of teachers not only in their state or the nation, but globally. Teachers can share best practices, compare lessons, and make connections with career specialists to talk to their classroom. But most importantly, teachers have access to professional development that they can do when it fits their schedule.
For years, rural educators have lagged behind their suburban and urban colleagues in integrating edtech into instruction. Funding, lack of high-speed internet, and other barriers have inhibited the implementation of edtech resources in our schools. However, as technology has improved and as state leaders seek to bring digital resources to all learners, it is time rural educators move forward in providing our students the benefits of high-quality edtech resources. The students we serve need our help to prepare them for the future, and it is our duty to answer the call!
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